Latest news with #policeintervention
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Change mental health laws so officers can intervene when people pose risk to others, police tell Bondi Junction inquest
One of Queensland's most senior police officers says the state's mental health legislation should be amended to make it easier for police to intervene when a person's mental health makes them a risk to others. Acting deputy commissioner Mark Kelly told the New South Wales coroners court on Wednesday that Queensland's Mental Health Act had caused 'confusion'. Kelly was speaking on the final day of testimony at the five-week inquest into the April 2024 stabbing attack at Westfield Bond Junction. Schizophrenic man Joel Cauchi, 40, killed Ashlee Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, and Faraz Tahir, 30, and injured 10 others before being shot and killed by police officer Amy Scott. State coroner Teresa O'Sullivan has heard officers who attended Cauchi's Toowoomba home in January 2023, after his father confiscated his knife collection, considered he had a mental disturbance but that it didn't meet the threshold for intervention under the act. Queensland's mental health legislation differs from NSW in that emergency mental health interventions by the police are only covered when people pose a serious risk to themselves. Kelly agreed on Wednesday with expert witnesses who appeared previously when he stated that the Mental Health Act should be changed so police could send people for emergency assessment if they posed a risk to others. 'It should be amended,' Kelly said of the act, which was changed in 2016 and included 'very high' thresholds for emergency intervention. 'The legislation does provide some confusion for our police,' he said. The senior counsel assisting, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, said the inquest was likely to recommend that the legislation be amended. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Kelly said police were increasingly called to mental health incidents. The growth in cases was related to domestic and family violence, homelessness and increased awareness of the issue. Queensland Police Service call-outs involving a person with a mental illness or disturbance averaged 51,000 a year over the past four to five years, he said. That number had risen this year, with 21,600 calls in the first four months of 2025. 'It is the burden of demand that is putting pressure on police,' Kelly told the court. The inquest continues.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- CTV News
Family of Montreal man who died in police intervention still waiting for answers
Friends and family of Abisay Cruz say they're still waiting for answers nearly two months after he died during a police intervention.
The Herald
22-05-2025
- The Herald
Urgent call for police action as NGOs are hit by hijackers in Eastern Cape
Nonprofit organisations (NGOs) serving last-mile communities in the Eastern Cape are demanding urgent police intervention after the hijacking of field workers this month. One to One Africa community field workers were held at gunpoint and threatened in Ngqeleni before they were abandoned deep in a forest. One to One Africa executive head Gqibelo Dandala said, despite clear evidence that NGOs were being targeted, law enforcement had shown little urgency or interest in tackling the 'growing crisis'. 'One to One Africa urges national and local leaders to intervene, ensuring that the police actively investigate these crimes, dismantle syndicates, and protect humanitarian organisations.' 'Now more than ever, we need to work together to send a strong message to those who seek to destroy the work that's happening. It is unlikely that the perpetrators are from these communities, and they do not fully understand the harm they are causing. They are robbing innocent women and children of vital services. 'We need urgent action to stop this before more lives are put at risk. Our work is integral to these communities, and we will not be silenced by fear. We need answers. We need action. We need protection,' she said. Dandala said at least three other NGOs operating in the region had suffered similar losses, leaving community field workers fearful and forcing organisations to divert donor funding to costly security services. 'For years, One to One Africa has provided critical healthcare and support to vulnerable communities through its Mentor Mothers Programme and Mobile Clinic services, ensuring free basic medical care reaches those unable to access local clinics. In rural villages where poverty and isolation create severe health risks, the organisation's 4x4 vehicles have become lifelines bridging the gap between desperate need and essential services. 'However, these life-saving operations are under attack. Criminal syndicates are targeting nonprofit organisations, hijacking their vehicles with crucial supplies,' said Dandala. The stolen vehicle and the essential supplies have not yet been located. 'Operations in the community have been temporarily suspended to give staff a chance to recover from the trauma and decide how best to mitigate risk,' said Dandala. Shamla Naidoo, who supplied sanitary towels to two Eastern Cape communities with support from her KwaZulu-Natal-based church, said she ceased operations in the province in November. 'Two vehicles were hijacked last year and our volunteers were held at knifepoint and robbed of their belongings several times. Regrettably, we cannot help the communities that desperately need sanitary towels because we cannot put our lives at risk,' she said. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Captain Welile Matyolo confirmed that a case of carjacking was at Ngqeleni Police Station on May 7. 'On that particular day about 10am at Buthongweni locality — Ngqeleni, the victim was hijacked by five unknown men and they dumped him with his colleagues next to a forest and vanished with the vehicle. The case was transferred to the Mthatha vehicle theft unit, which is busy conducting the investigation. No-one has been arrested yet and the vehicle has not yet been recovered.' When asked if police had stepped up patrols and crime intelligence operations due to NGOs being targeted Matyolo said: 'Patrols are our daily duties and roadblocks are being conducted with the assistance of the traffic officers to ensure safety for all. The SA Police Service's mandate is to create and ensure a safe environment for all people in South Africa.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Driver's dodgy number plate move leads to massive find inside car: 'Jam packed'
A car spotted with a suspicious-looking number plate led authorities to uncover a car so "jammed packed full of copper piping' that the passengers struggled to fit inside. The white Nissan was intercepted by police on Sydney's Parramatta Road near Stanmore on the weekend after officers spotted the number plates were "folded inwards to cover up the identity of the vehicle". The car was so full one passenger was found sitting on top of the folded-down backseat while the other had copper piping poking everywhere past his head in the front seat. When questioned, the three passengers allegedly relayed inconsistent stories to police, prompting officers to seize the copper and vehicle, and hand out court notices for allegedly possessing stolen property. The driver also copped multiple fines for road breaches, including a positive roadside drug test. 👀 Truth revealed after detail on police car leaves road users puzzled 👷♂️ Tradie's $25k 'blow' after falling victim to growing problem 🛞 Cops make 'extremely dangerous' find on ute tyres The massive find comes as copper theft has increased in recent years, with police warning those responsible sell materials like cables and piping to scrap metal dealers who melt and reshape it for reuse, with it largely used for electronics. The rise in the copper theft trend means vacant homes and construction sites are targeted, as well as public infrastructure — and it's costing the Australian governments eye-watering amounts to replace the stolen metal. According to the Australian Institute of Criminology, the annual cost of metal theft is valued at well over $100 million. In South Australia, there were more than two thousand instances of scrap metal theft in a recent 12-month period, according to a state government report, with the theft of a $2,000 piece of copper cabling forcing the state's train network into safety mode and causing significant peak-hour disruptions. The crime has tripled since 2020 in Queensland and an organised crime syndicate in Victoria stole $780,000 worth of copper from telco pits, causing mass internet and power outages. It has been estimated that 90 per cent of all copper theft takes place at night or on weekends. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
CTV News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Kativik Regional Government demands police watchdog reform after Inuk man killed by police
As the Kangiqsualujjuaq community is mourning the death of Mark Annanack in a police intervention Monday night, the Kativik Regional Government (KRG) is demanding Quebec's police watchdog be reformed. Quebec's police watchdog (BEI) is investigating the incident after Annanack was pepper-sprayed, tasered and shot by police officers before being pronounced dead in hospital. Protesters gathered by the Nunavik Police Service (NPS) station in Kangiqsualujjuaq, a remote Inuit village in northern Quebec, to demand justice Friday afternoon. Signs were made by community members saying, 'don't shoot' and 'disarm NPS' for the protest. Posts on social media about the man paint the portrait of a former first responder who struggled with addiction and depression. Annanack is the second person to die in NPS interventions in six months. In November, Joshua Papigatuk was shot and killed in a police intervention in Salluit, Que., prompting a wave of protests in Nunavik. At the time, the KRG and NPS said they were working on police reforms to rebuild trust like having more officers from the community and various training, but that banning officers from carrying guns was out of the question. The NPS said on Thursday that its officers were wearing body cameras and the footage was turned over to the BEI. Many in the community want that footage released to the public as well. The KRG said Friday changes are needed in the BEI's investigation process and is demanding the watchdog 'drastically improve [its] transparency and responsiveness of Nunavik investigations.' It specifically wants BEI investigators to hold public meetings with impacted communities to review investigation results, publish investigation findings in Inuktitut, and produce complete final reports within six months. 'The fatal shooting of one of our community members is a deep wound for the family and the community. We mourn the loss of this young man,' said KRG Chairperson Hilda Snowball in a news release. 'Two fatal shootings of our Nunavimmiut brothers in six months is two too many. We need answers soon to how these tragedies occur,' added vice chairperson Mary Arngaq. Meanwhile, Makivvik, the political organization representing Inuit in Quebec said policing in the far north is 'broken.' 'This latest tragedy is not isolated: it reflects a systemic failure in the way policing is delivered in Nunavik,' said Makivvik president Pita Aatami in a news release. 'Despite repeated warnings, commitments, and investigations, police interventions continue to fail our communities. We condemn this fatality, and we demand immediate and measurable accountability.' Makivvik stressed that the BEI investigation shouldn't delay other accountability actions and restructuring efforts. 'We cannot wait for another report while more lives are put at risk,' it said. Makivvik has been working with the KRG since Papigatuk's death to reform police practices and improve accountability.
